Alligator Creek
Household income at the 90.7th percentile nationally sits alongside a SEIFA disadvantage score in decile 2, an unusual combination that marks Alligator Creek as a rural area where high-earning working households have settled on larger blocks rather than a wealthy suburb by conventional measures. The population of 1,550 is spread across 49.4 sq km, giving a density of just 31.4 people per km2. Every dwelling recorded is a separate house, and half have four or more bedrooms, pointing firmly to a lifestyle block and family acreage character. The renter share of just 5.2% is one of the lowest found in regional Queensland, confirming that almost all residents chose to buy rather than rent.
Population
1,550
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,404/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
7
Median House
$458K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The median house price is estimated at $458,000, which is accessible compared to national medians for detached housing. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,893, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold. Stock is exclusively separate houses, and 50% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms, so buyers seeking large family homes on spacious land have realistic supply to choose from. Outright owners make up 36% of households, while 58.8% carry a mortgage, reflecting a working-ownership cohort still paying down debt. Development activity was 6 applications in the past 12 months, mostly shed and carport approvals, signalling a stable market rather than a transforming one.
For Buyers
The median house price is estimated at $458,000, which is accessible compared to national medians for detached housing. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,893, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold. Stock is exclusively separate houses, and 50% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms, so buyers seeking large family homes on spacious land have realistic supply to choose from. Outright owners make up 36% of households, while 58.8% carry a mortgage, reflecting a working-ownership cohort still paying down debt. Development activity was 6 applications in the past 12 months, mostly shed and carport approvals, signalling a stable market rather than a transforming one.
For Investors
The investor case is weak. Weekly rent of $325 against a $458,000 median implies a gross yield around 3.7%, below what most regional Queensland investors target. The vacancy rate sits at 15.5%, a high figure signalling limited rental demand in a suburb with just 31.4 people per km2. The renter share is only 5.2%, confirming that almost all residents are owner-occupiers with little appetite to rent. Net overseas migration averages 38 arrivals per year and internal migration adds 8, with annual population growth running at 0.39%, adding roughly 19 persons per year. Development activity totalled 6 applications in 12 months, mostly accessory structures rather than new dwellings, and the gentrification score is 0.
Development Activity
Total DAs
7
Last 12 Months
7
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Alligator Creek iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Alligator Creek State School
Prep-6 · 287 students
Demographics
The median age of 41 is 1.0 year above the national figure, and the trajectory is aging: the senior share grew 11.3 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 5.3 points. Overseas-born residents are 12.1%, which is 9.5 percentage points below the national average, producing a predominantly Anglo-Celtic community. Ancestry is led by English (593), Irish (191) and Scottish (163), with Italian at 106. University qualifications reach 27.3%, which is 2.8 points below national, consistent with a trade and service-sector workforce. Average household size of 2.8 is 0.3 above national, and 557 couple-with-children families outnumber the 393 couples without children, reflecting the larger-lot family character.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
N/A
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
The housing stock is 100% separate houses, with no apartments or semi-detached dwellings recorded. Half of all dwellings have four or more bedrooms, and 38.6% have three, meaning compact two-bedroom properties are a small minority at 8.1%. Tenure splits to 36% outright owners, 58.8% mortgage holders and just 5.2% renters, skewing strongly toward ownership. The median house price is estimated at $458,000 based on 2025 rental data, with monthly repayments of $1,893 and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.2%, below the stress threshold. Rent-to-income sits at 13.5%, also well within comfortable territory. The high vacancy rate of 15.5% likely reflects seasonal or rural-acreage factors rather than speculative oversupply.
Mortgage / mo
$1,893
Rent / wk
$325
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$1,018
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
15.5%
Unoccupied
88
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
13.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.2%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
32.2%
Couples, no children
1,222
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates the local industry mix at 21.2% of workers (105 people), followed by Education at 13.1% (65) and Public Administration at 11.1% (55), a trio pointing to a workforce that commutes to Townsville's public sector rather than working locally. Construction accounts for 10.9% (54 workers) and Professional/Tech for 8.9% (44). By occupation, Professionals lead with 150, followed by Managers (109) and Clerical/Admin (106). The unemployment rate is low at 3.7% and the full-time employment rate is 69.5%. The gap between decile 2 IRSAD and the 90.7th-percentile household income reflects the fact that the working population earns well, even as the suburb lacks the economic infrastructure that SEIFA scores reward.
Unemployment
2.8%
Labour Force
3,072
Unemployed
86
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
69.5%
Part-time
26.8%
Participation
59.3%
Employed
698
Occupations
Top Industries
University
27.3%
Postgraduate
7.6%
Born Overseas
12.1%
Dwellings
481
Transport to Work
Car dependence is near-total: 92.7% of residents drive to work and only 0.5% use public transport, one of the lowest transit shares in regional Queensland. Walking and cycling account for 1.4%. No schools are recorded within the Alligator Creek boundary, so families rely on Townsville institutions, manageable given the car-dependent commuting culture. Crime data is not available for this suburb. The SEIFA IRSAD decile sits at 2, placing the suburb in the lower quintile nationally for advantage, despite household incomes in the 90.7th percentile. Volunteering runs at 17.5% and only 4.5% of residents need daily assistance. Rent-to-income at 13.5% and mortgage-to-income at 18.2% both remain comfortably below stress thresholds.
Drive
92.7%
Public Transport
0.5%
Walk / Cycle
1.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.39%/yr
(+19 people/yr)
EstablishedAnnual population growth is 0.39%, adding around 19 persons per year to a base of 1,550. The 10-year population change was just 0.1%, classifying this as an effectively static community. The broader SA2 historical population was 4,892 in 2025, up from 4,768 in 2023, and medium-scenario forecasts hold it near 4,982 by 2031. Migration is balanced: overseas migration nets 38 arrivals per year and internal migration adds 8 annually. The gentrification score is 0, confirmed not gentrifying, which fits a rural-fringe suburb where land values reflect acreage utility rather than urban speculation. Real incomes fell 8.9% in real terms over the decade, a headwind for long-term capital growth.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+38
Net Internal / yr
+8
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Alligator Creek compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alligator Creek a good suburb to live in?
Alligator Creek suits buyers seeking large acreage homes at accessible price points. Mortgage-to-income is 18.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold, and 100% of dwellings are separate houses with half having 4 or more bedrooms. Household income sits at the 90.7th percentile nationally. Trade-offs include near-zero public transport at 0.5%, no recorded schools within the suburb boundary, and a SEIFA IRSAD decile of 2 indicating limited local services.
What is the median house price in Alligator Creek?
The median house price is estimated at $458,000 based on 2025 rental data. Weekly rent averages $325 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,893, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.2%, which is below the 30% stress level. Gross rental yield implied by these figures is around 3.7%.
What schools are in Alligator Creek?
No schools are recorded inside the Alligator Creek boundary in this dataset. Families depend on schools in the Townsville area, which is accessible given that 92.7% of residents commute by car. The local university qualification rate is 27.3%, which is 2.8 percentage points below the national figure.
Is Alligator Creek safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Alligator Creek in this dataset. As a proxy measure, the combined owner-occupier rate is 94.8% (outright owners plus mortgage holders), and 80.5% of residents have lived in the area for 5 or more years, both factors associated with lower crime in regional areas. Only 4.5% of residents (61 people) require daily assistance.
Is Alligator Creek good for property investment?
The investment case is weak. Weekly rent of $325 against a $458,000 median implies a gross yield around 3.7%, below typical regional targets, and the vacancy rate of 15.5% signals limited rental demand. The renter share is just 5.2% and annual population growth is 0.39%, offering limited prospect of rental compression or strong capital growth in the near term.
How is Alligator Creek's population changing?
The suburb population of 1,550 grew just 0.1% over 10 years, adding roughly 19 persons per year at 0.39% annually. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 11.3 points and the working-age share down 5.3 points over the decade. Net overseas migration of 38 per year is the primary growth driver, supplemented by modest internal migration of 8 per year.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
Explore Alligator Creek on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map